Richt on Gurley: ‘We’re preparing to play without him’

More and more it’s looking less and less likely that one of the nation’s top running backs will make a return from a lingering ankle injury again this weekend.

Gurley suffered the dreaded high-ankle sprain during Georgia’s Sept. 28 win over LSU and has missed the past two games. He has yet to return fully to practice, merely doing what Mark Richt refers to as “football-related” things.

The head coach seems resigned to being without the sophomore for a third consecutive game, this time against Vanderbilt.

The coach is also preparing to play without starting safety Tray Matthewsfor a third straight week as well. Matthews tweaked his hamstring during practice the week after the LSU game and hasn’t played since.